Saraswati Mahavidyalaya - Perth, Australia

Saraswati Mahavidyalaya in Perth, Australia

This article reflects on SFOL 2010 and is timely as SFOL 2020: Reimagined, the Virtual Festival is about to be launched. Further projects include ChitAmbara which aspires to initiate various interdisciplinary projects and open the possibility for professionalism.

The Swan Festival of Lights is celebrated in Perth, Australia in conjunction with Deepavali, the Hindu festival of light. Launched in 2008, it aptly uses light as its overarching theme. The Festival embraces the multifaceted local and migrant communities of the city through the arts, crafts and cuisine, as well as publicising itself as a ‘smoke- and alcohol-free family-friendly event’. The festival aims to provide a space for the interaction, understanding and appreciation of multiple cultures that form the fabric of Western Australia’s society. Presented by The Temple of Fine Arts Inc. and Annalakshmi Cultural Centre of Western Australia which are sister organizations of the Temple of Fine Arts (TFA) Kuala Lumpur, it has numerous funders and supporters, principally the City of Perth and The Bell Tower.

The 2010 iteration was held from 4-7 November 2010 at the Esplanade Oval, an open field across from the picturesque Swan River. This event attracted an estimated 10,000 people over the 4 days. Around the perimeter of the field, innumerable stalls and tents were erected serving vegetarian food, traditional handicraft, and attire, as well as activities such as face-painting and henna tattooing. It created an incredible carnivalesque atmosphere which is a recognizable feature of Indian culture and traditions. Dance and music workshops were held each afternoon, and the festival highlight of nightly performances featured tertiary students, professionals, and community-based arts groups – there was something for everyone.

In 2010, dancers from the Faculty of Dance, ASWARA, Malaysia were invited to perform alongside Malaysian musicians AkashA and dancers of Inner Space which gave the festival an added international flavour. It was a great opportunity for cultural immersion for young dance students of the Academy and allowed all international participants to experience the environment of Perth, specifically that of the Indian diasporic community through the Temple of Fine Arts. From the moment we landed at the Perth International Airport, the dancers and I knew that we were in for an incredible time as the warmth we were greeted with was overwhelming. The group was housed at the spacious home of one of the members of the Shiva Family, as devotees of Swami Shantanand Saraswati (founder of TFA) are known, in the suburb of Dalkeith. The idea to place the dancers in a house rather than a hotel as the usual practice at international festivals may have primarily been driven by financial constraints. However, the advantages were that it provided comfortable and familiar respite in the midst of what was to be a very hectic schedule, as well as ample space for extra rehearsals and greater camaraderie.

Rehearsals began immediately at the King’s Street Arts Centre while technical rehearsals were held at the venue and lasted well into the night. The King’s Street Arts Centre has several dance studios that are available for rental and houses various NGOs, dance companies, and organisations related to the arts. This glass and steel complex situated in the heart of town creates a hub of artistic activity that is easily assessable to the public. As an arts practitioner, I am constantly attracted to spaces such as this that provide a nucleus for the arts community, vital support, and creativity. I remember a decade before this visit, watching Buzz Dance Theatre rehearse and perform in this space which was made more special as Malaysian dancer, Vijay Nair was a company member then. These kinds of experiences further fuel my ambitions and aspirations for the next generations of Malaysian practitioners.

The daytime workshops held from Friday to Sunday included Zumba dance and fitness by Danza Loca, martial arts by the Ancestrais Capoeira group, belly dancing by Rosehips Belly dance, zapin by ASWARA, cooking demonstrations, and health workshops. Although it was very challenging to participate in and conduct these workshops in the searing heat of a Perth summer accompanied by the swarms of attacking flies, the principal motivation was to enjoy oneself as one shared and learned the cultures of the ‘other’ – and everyone enthusiastically participated.

The performances (similar programs were held on Thursday and Saturday while the show on Friday was repeated on Sunday) began with a simple procession by TFA called the Vande Mataram which then segued into the other performances by Wadumbah Dance Group with an aboriginal dance and music performance, Casa Del Compas with a flamenco piece, Chung Wah Dance with Chinese dance repertoire, the Rozhazhka Ukrainian Cossack Dancers, salsa by Danza Loca, Batuque Bacana Samba and ballet by Youth Ballet Western Australia.

One of the crowd’s favourites was Wild Things by Jenni Large, performed by the dance students from the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts. This was choreographed by Large who is herself a student at WAAPA, showcased professionally trained dancers who were comfortable with and confident of their bodies, easily mastering the rhythms and isolations that were required in this work. It was a return to the fundamental attraction that dance possesses, which is a synergy between music and movement. Without any narrative, the choreography relied on the pulsating soundtrack and modern dance technique in a work that drew heavily on African or Aboriginal sensibilities, displaying a stage presence and prowess that left the audiences enraptured.

The musicians AkashA and Inner Space were also a huge hit with their easy-listening melodies played by superb musicians at the peak of their virtuosity. With Jamie Wilson also serving as an emcee, introducing their works and providing background information spliced with humour, his talent as an entertainer beyond his musicianship is obvious. He created a warm rapport with the audience. However, with Wilson and sitarist Kumar Kathigesu playing for both bands, it might have been confusing to some members of the audience to differentiate the two groups. In simple musical terms, Inner Space employs more Indian instrumentation while AkashA brands itself as a Malaysian world fusion music band exploring international rhythms like blues, bossanova or samba in their repertoire. Nevertheless, both bands were great ambassadors of Malaysian-bred talent.

Varsha and Alarippu, both iconic deconstructions of bharatanatyam with modern dance vocabulary choreographed by Umesh Shetty were mesmerizing to audiences. It was a revelation as they discovered the possibilities of a dance form steeped in classicism appealing and being relevant to contemporary sensibilities. This was followed by a Bollywood medley by TFA that celebrated the global appeal of gyrating bodies, torso ripples, and communal fun. ASWARA too, besides dancing the aforementioned works, had the privilege of promoting Malaysian culture through the Zapin Putar Alam and Chinese dance entitled Journey which was choreographed by Zhou Gui Xin and is inspired by the nomadic peoples of Xin Jiang who are Chinese Muslims. The evening performances ended with the Aarthi Dance by the hosts with fireworks lighting up the night sky of Perth.

The highlight of the second program was the Ramayana, a dance drama based on the Indian epic by Valmiki. Trying to condense the complexities and intricacies of the plot, the emotional highs and lows of the various characters, the drama, and the passion into a 2-hour production is a monumental task. This was creatively and admirably accomplished with the use of voice-overs to narrate sections of the story, mimetic acting, and dancing of the various Indian genres such as odissi, bharatanatyam, and mohiniattam for different scenes. The sincere acting and exquisite dancing made for splendid dance theatre as it only relied on the bodies of dancers steeped in Indian abhinaya, aided by the spectacular costumes and glorious music. This was a treat for the Perth audience and for the Indian diaspora in making their presence felt in their adopted land.

The festival is a testament to the collective efforts of the members of the Temple of Fine Arts Perth, Annalakshmi, and the Shiva Family to create a wholesome immersive experience for the entire community. The dream and inspiration of the late Swami Shantanand Saraswati lives on in these people who truly believe in the spirit of selfless duty and service through the arts towards a higher goal for the betterment of all. The entire event was managed by volunteers who have day jobs – doctors, dentists, engineers, homemakers, bakers, and other careers, while the teaching and choreographing were helmed by Sukhi Shetty-Krishnan, the gifted daughter of the late Gopal Shetty and Radha Shetty. They were assisted by Manjula Radhakrishnan, Sarasa Krishnan, and an army of helpers who handled the costumes, props, and make-up for the entire cast.

Next in the pipeline – the Shiva Family wishes to find a permanent home for the Temple of Fine Arts and the Saraswati MahaVidhyalaya Insitute, which is intended to be a holistic institution of higher learning where ‘the ultimate goal is to serve humanity through education’. This is a mammoth task, but the Shiva Family believes that faith can move mountains and it is not a question of ‘if’, but rather of ‘when’ this comes to fruition.

I reflected on my all too brief stay in Perth as I looked at the myriad of colours exploding in the night sky, signifying for me that the Swan Festival of Lights had truly arrived.

P.S. Fast-forward 10 years – by Kamal Thurairajah (Festival Organizing Committee)

It is heart-warming to note that the festival has grown exponentially from drawing crowds of 3000 at the start to around 40,000 in 2018. This growth is a testament to the support received from the local community of Western Australia, governmental and private supporters of the festival who have embraced the need for such an inclusive festival to showcase Perth’s diversity, and to the support received from all international collaborators who have been on this journey with SMV and Annalakshmi from day 1.

This year, as a response to the crises of Covid-19, the SFOL Management Committee has decided to present the 2020 edition of the festival as a digital experience. The borderless outreach of the digital world allows the presenters to reach wider participation in terms of artistic curation & creation and audience reach. The audience can tune in at any time from anywhere across the globe to digitally experience productions from artists in different parts of the world. Additionally, the festival presenters have specifically commissioned the creation of a new Digital Production to be premiered as part of SFOL 2020. This first-time endeavour includes artistic collaboration from Indigenous Australia, USA, Burkina Faso in Africa, India, and Singapore.

Audiences can use the following link to connect with us digitally in anticipation of SFOL 2020 - https://sfol.com.au/how-to-connect